


Bonding over Bowtruckles

by keyflight790



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Bowtruckles - Freeform, Christmas Tree, Multi, Polyamorous Character, Polyamory, Trees, cutting down trees
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-27 03:09:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17154155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keyflight790/pseuds/keyflight790
Summary: Something at the local farm is amiss, and Neville knows they can help.





	Bonding over Bowtruckles

“Neville, would you mind waking up?” Luna asked, her voice filling the previously silent and dark room.

“Mmph,” Neville grumbled, stretching his arms wide above his head. He noticed the bed was empty and sat up abruptly.

“Rolf? Luna?”

“Right here, love,” Rolf stood near the doorway, hastily putting on a pair of boots. “Sorry to wake you. It’s kind of an emergency.”

“Shit. What happened? Is it Ginny? it the baby?”

“Ginny’s fine, Neville. Harry’s fine, the baby’s fine.”

Rolf’s strong voice calmed him, but his heart was still racing. After the war, it was pretty common for him to wake up in the middle of the night, his own throat hoarse from his screams.

Sometimes the only thing that would lull him back to sleep was Luna’s soothing voice in his ear, her own terrors keeping her alert in the darkness. The nightmares had slowly faded, and it had been months since he or Luna had woken up covered in panic and sweat. Neville knew it was mostly due to the calming presence of Rolf.

Luna had met Rolf through her articles for the Quibbler, when she needed to pull in an expert to discuss Nifflers and Nargles and the difference between freshwater and saltwater plimpies. She had brought him round for dinner, and he just never left, fitting into their relationship like the missing piece to a puzzle they didn’t even know they were putting together.

Neville had felt like that his whole life: like there was some master game going on, but he only knew a handful of rules and was never really sure which players were where. In school, he had just been focused on protecting Luna and Ginny and Seamus and Cho and Lavender, and the myriad of first- and seconds- who had no one else to do it. And then Harry came back and the game was over, the winner crowned, and they all went home.

He didn’t really have a home. His grandmother was just and fair, but he had trouble feeling comfortable around her, especially after all he had seen. She tolerated his nightmares for a time, but Neville didn’t want to just be tolerated anymore. He wanted to be needed; to be loved.

Luna loved him. She had such a big heart, and was so open and carefree, everything Neville wanted to be. She lifted him up, and lifted Rolf up, and in return they offered her friendship and comfort and family and love.  

“What’s going on, then?” Neville asked, his voice tired but his eyes alert as he scanned the room for his wand.

“It’s the Christmas Tree farm. One of the Frasier Firs is apparently covered with woodlice. They found a branch of them, and instead of relocating the tree, they want to just eradicate the bowtruckles," Rolf said, his hand shaking slightly.

“They can’t do that!” Neville scowled. The farm made him angry; all those beautiful trees just chopped off at the root, destined to spend their last remaining days in a shallow pot, propped up in someone's living room, covered in plastic and tinsel.

“I know, sweetheart, we’re not going to let them. We just need to get there first.” Luna rubbed his back soothingly. “Rolf’s got your coat, and I’ve got your wand. Ready to go?”

Neville nodded, slipping on his boots. The three of them Apparated directly out of their living room to the grounds of the farm.

“Where do you think it is?” Neville whispered into the darkness. The snow was falling heavier and the light from the moon was blocked out by the tallest of trees.

“We don’t have to whisper, Neville. No one's here yet.” Luna lifted her wand and cast a quick _Lumos._

“I think they’re this way,” Rolf said, motioning to path that cut through several trees. “I can see the markings of the lice already. Must be a large infestation, if it brought an entire branch of bowtruckles out of their natural habitat.

The two men followed Luna’s light as she guided them through the trees, responding to Rolf’s guidance of “left here,” or “make a right at the rock.”

After a few minutes of walking, their boots squishing deep into the snow, they finally reached a fir with a large hole in its trunk.

“They’ll be in there,” Rolf said softly. “And watch your hands, these guys have pretty sharp fingers and will not hesitate if they feel like we’re a danger.”

“We’re not going to touch them, are we?” Neville asked. He was staring at the bark covered in little white specks, and the dark hole that held the tiny creatures.

“I don’t know how else to move them.” Rolf was also peering into the hole, trying to catch a glimpse of green.

“This is their home!” Luna’s voice was high with worry and concern. “We can’t take them away from their home!”

Neville looked at the tree again. The infestation would only grow larger if there wasn’t a natural predator. The lice would eventually break through the hardened exterior and eat their way to the roots; once that happened, the tree wouldn’t last through Spring.

“It’s alright, Luna. The bowtruckles need this tree as much as the tree needs them. Since we can’t very well separate them, I think we have another solution.” Neville leaned back against the sturdy trunk of the tree and thought about their options.

“Rolf, remember that spell you used to transfer the flesh-eating slugs?” Neville asked. They had found the corrosive leaves on their tomato plants and their dirigible plum bushes.

“Yes. We modified the basic Leviosa to remove the leaves as well as the slugs so that we could transport them to their new location.” Rolf answered, his voice steady despite the chill in the air.

“Right. So what if we modified it again, and instead of just lifting the leaves -”

“We lift the roots, too!” Luna said gleefully.

“Exactly.” Neville beamed. “Can you draw a circle in the dirt, about two feet out from the trunk, Luna?”

She dragged her wand along the ground, creating a rough circle in the dirt. “It’s a pretty big tree,” Luna tilted her head, admiring the pine needles covering each branch. “We’re lucky it isn’t smaller, or someone would have chopped her down already.”

“Her?” Rolf asked.

“Yes, isn’t she beautiful?”

“Definitely,” Neville smiled softly at the thought of such a beautiful thing, _her_ , growing so big and strong in the forest just to get unceremoniously killed.

Neville focused his magic on the dirt, feeling how each root was connected to the solid earth. Even if he could delicately remove the roots from the ground, the tree would still be compromised, still removed from what she considered home.

“We need to remove the dirt, too,” Neville announced. “Then we can use a _Reducto_ and transport her to a more hospitable environment. Rolf, can you put a _Stasis_ on the Bowtruckles? I don’t want them to be unnecessarily shaken.”

Rolf nodded and twisted his wand in intricate patterns, mumbling the various spells to keep the many Bowtruckles calm.

“Luna, I need your magic, please. Help me lift the tree?”

She grabbed Neville’s right hand and lifted her wand. Together, they _Leviosa’d_ the tree, branches and surrounding dirt included. The removal left a perfect semi-circle indentation in the frozen ground.

“ _Reducio,_ ” Neville whispered into the crisp air. Combined with Luna’s magic, the tree crumpled in size until it was no bigger than a Galleon.

Rolf tucked the tiny tree into his pocket.

“Let’s get out of here,” Neville glanced around, noticing the sun just starting to peek over the horizon. “I don’t want to explain to Harry and the rest of the Aurors what this ditch is doing out here, right where the tree should be.”

Luna and Neville each grabbed one of Rolf’s shoulders as they twisted, Apparating to the Kilsbergen Forrest.

Luna skipped ahead of the men before she reached a clearing in the trees.

“Here!” Luna announced, presenting the perfect spot for the tree’s new home.

Rolf pulled the tree out of his robes, while Neville dug a perfect circle into the soft dirt. They placed the miniature tree in the center, and together, they transfigured the tree back to its original size.

Leaning in, Rolf unraveled the _Stasis_ charm and released the bowtruckles. He sprinkled some doxy eggs around the base of the tree, a ‘welcome home’ gift of sorts.

The three surrounded the tree, marveling at her beauty. Luna flicked her wand once more and conjured a shining gold star, adorning it to the top branch.

“Merry Christmas,” Luna’s cheery voice rang out, surrounding them with her love and devotion.

“Merry Christmas,” Neville and Rolf responded. They circled their arms around each other, holding on tight.

* * *

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much to [HPTriadsNet](https://hptriadsnet.tumblr.com/) for putting on this little Secret Santa! Especially Amaliabones for coordinating everything and allowing me to scream at her about all things. 
> 
> Charlie, I hope you love the little adventure this triad went on. I imagine they headed home after and made some warm cocoa and exchanged presents next to the fire. Thank you for letting me write for you!
> 
> Heaping thanks to my beta, OllieMaye, who caught all my blunders and offered her wonderful support.


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